The young Iraqi Abd al-Rahman al-Shallal was unable to find a job that matches his diploma, so he found himself obliged to continue working in one of the Baghdad bakeries, in which he worked during his studies.

Al-Shallal - who graduated from the Department of Computer Science in Baghdad in 2013 - did not give in to despair, and continued to search for a better job opportunity, and began to correspond with many companies outside Iraq, to ​​finally find his way in one of the Austrian companies that gave him a job opportunity.

Al-Shallal (far left) used to work in a bakery in Baghdad (Al-Jazeera)

Baking oven

Since entering the university, Al-Shalal (28 years) began his work in a bakery in Baghdad, in order to provide for his needs, buy books and what he needs in his studies, and he hoped to get a good job in his country, and to find someone who appreciates his skills because he is one of the first, according to him.

And he expresses to Al-Jazeera Net his shock after graduation, when he did not get a job and did not find an institution that would be interested in him;

Forcing him to continue working in the bakery.

Al-Shalal tells how he used to give himself hope by finding someone who appreciates his effort and study, and he used to write his dreams and repeat them inside the bakery, that he would someday get a job within his specialty.

But he adds that he respects the work of the bakery, which was his source of income and sustenance, but he does not want the years of schooling to go away and the trouble of reaching a bachelor's degree.

Regarding the years of Al-Shallal's work in the bakery, his friend Ali Khalil Ibrahim (26 years old) confirms that Abdul Rahman is an ambitious and highly educated young man.

Ibrahim added to Al-Jazeera Net that Abdel-Rahman tried to get a job in Iraq and applied several times, but he did not get anything, so he decided to look for work outside the country, and sent his papers to more than one country, and his dream was to reach this stage.

Regarding that period of his life, Al-Shallal explains that he used to wake up early every day at four in the morning, then pray and go to the bakery, active without worries, and think about his testimony and ask God to give him job opportunities that fit his academic specialization, and not stay in this state.

Those wishes were fulfilled that did not go away from his mind during work, and he used to see them in the bread dough, as he says, and imagine what his next stop will be, for he knew that he who writes his dreams and insists on them will be fulfilled, and there is nothing impossible in this life.

Al-Shallal explains how he planned to master the English language, then he translated his certificates and experience into English, and learned his way to advertise himself, and after many failed attempts, he learned from his mistakes, and he succeeded in correspondence with companies by e-mail, introducing himself and his experiences in the correct manner, and the positive response came From an Austrian company.

Al-Shallal did not give in to despair, and he continued to search until he got a job opportunity in an Austrian company (Al-Jazeera)

job opportunity

Through communication and e-mail correspondence, Al-Shalal got a job at Anton Paar, one of the Austrian “International” companies, adding that, “After passing all the exams and explaining the smallest details, they offered me to enter into development courses subject to the company within Study competence. "

"The company has contracted with me, and on the condition that I not leave work and go to competing companies, and that I keep all business secrets and do not reveal the secret of the company's success and its advanced programs."

Al-Shalal points out that his dreams in the past were simple and did not go beyond getting a job to help his family and brothers, but today he aspires to have institutions and projects, through which he will transfer the experience he gained and positive cultures to the Arab youth.

To learn more about Al-Shallal's work, Al-Jazeera met the head of marketing and communications at the company, Max Sommer, who confirmed that Abdul Rahman had completed his training in a variety of institutional fields, as he started in the field of information technology, then spent another 5 months in marketing, and gained experience in the department Design, and later in the website development and internet marketing department.

He points out that Al-Shallal has multiple talents, and he is always ready and motivated to develop himself and learn new things, and this makes him talented in many areas.

Sommer points out that Al-Shallal will receive professional training as a programmer or web developer in the company as of this month, noting that this vocational training is offered for the first time in Austria.

The waterfall tried to coexist in Austria and to practice his life and hobbies naturally (the island)

Immigration and integration

At the beginning of his arrival in Austria, Al-Shallal encountered difficulty in speaking with people, because they spoke German, and he could not understand them in English, and he decided to learn German with the help of an Austrian.

Al-Jazeera Net went to meet the person who helped him learn the German language, which is Dr. Johannes Robert (70 years), who is the former dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Economics in an Austrian university. He said, "I got to know Abdul Rahman after hearing from some friends about the presence of an Arab person in The region of Oberhaig (south of the city of Styria in Austria), and he wanted to learn German, so I went to get to know him. I was amazed by his dealings with me, which made me communicate with him extensively and taught him the German language.

Robert noted that he briefed the waterfall about Austrian cultures, and the beautiful regions and cities of Austria that he could visit, expressing his admiration for the waterfall's character, accepting advice and taking it seriously.

It is noteworthy that the whole city started talking about his name, after the residents were hearing about the Arab countries and their problems, which made them fear the Arabs, but Abd al-Rahman made everyone trust him as a respectable and polite person, and he possessed high morals.

Then Al Jazeera Net went to Oberhaig, to talk to Ingrid Forrest, 62, who is an exercise trainer, who has been hosting the waterfall in her home for a year and a half, where she said, "I heard there is an Arab youth looking for housing, and I had a spare room with a bathroom, so I decided to host it. In which".

She believes that the arrival of an Arab person to Austria to live and work is not easy due to the large differences in the language and others, and this requires full readiness to learn.

Forrest expressed her surprise at the speed at which the waterfall was integrated into society, attributing that to his openness and frequent travel, and his ability to challenge and overcome difficulties, with his possession of determination and many ideas and creativity to achieve his goals.

Throughout Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Shallal directs his advice to Arab and Iraqi youth in particular, to continue studying and education, and to take this seriously, with the need to master the English language, pay attention to learning correspondence and the e-mail system, make a professional CV, and translate it with all certificates into English.

He urges young people to develop themselves with modern science and keep pace with it, in order for companies to attract them and make their names shiny in international forums, because Arab minds are brilliant, have a history and a global footprint, noting that there is no word impossible, difficult or despair in the dictionary of life.

And Al-Shallal explains that he always talks to those in Austria about the minds and intelligence of the young men and women of Iraq and the Arabs, citing the late Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who designed the most beautiful buildings, and her name is immortalized everywhere.

Abdul Rahman invests his spare time in volunteer work with the Red Cross (Al-Jazeera)

Volunteer work

In addition to his work at the company, Al-Shalal invests his spare time in volunteering as a paramedic and assistant doctor for emergency at the Red Cross Center in Leibniz, Austria.

He indicates that his volunteer work won him great popularity, as he served many people, and he was in the advanced ranks to confront the Corona virus (Covid-19).

And he concludes by saying, "This humanity and love to help people I learned from my father and mother since I was young. My people in Baghdad know what I am doing and they are very proud of me."